St Mark 7: 24 – 29

From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre.  He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice,  but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet.  Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’  But she answered him, ‘Sir,  even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’  Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’  So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Reflection

Today’s reading can seem like a bit of a puzzle.  Why should Jesus go to the region of Tyre, and not want anyone to know he was there? Why should he seem to put a woman down, a woman who was pleading for her daughter?
There were times when Jesus went to be on his own, and times when he told the people he was with, such as his disciples, not to tell anyone what they had seen and heard. Perhaps it’s a reminder that, if Jesus needed time on his own, so do we.

However, in Tyre, the news about him soon got out, even into the non-Jewish community. Jesus’ initial reaction to the Syro-Phoenician woman seems unfair – with the implication that the Gospel is firstly for the Jews and that those who are not Jews might be ‘dogs’. The woman argues with him showing even dogs can have the crumbs from under the table.

Then, in this robust exchange between the two, Jesus turns around from what he has said, and says that the demon has left her daughter.  The woman goes home and finds the demon has gone.

Was Jesus being unfair to the woman, or was he testing her about what she thought? 

What’s interesting is that Jesus listens carefully to her and changes what he’s said, so that her daughter might be set free. It’s as a result of her coming to Jesus, even as a stranger, and despite the words she has said contradicting Jesus, that her daughter is healed. The woman’s goal was clear – her concern for her daughter.

It points to the way in which we can have arguments with Jesus, but he will see into our hearts and minds and respond positively to our underlying concerns and needs. And it took someone who was a woman and a stranger to make this point clear.

Prayer

Loving Jesus, 
help us to follow your example in taking the time we need on our own.
We give thanks for the example of the Syro-Phoenician woman.
Give us the strength to speak to you openly 
of what we hold on our hearts and minds.
As you listen to us, help us to listen to others 
who might seem like strangers.
Accept our concerns and our care, 
for our family and for all around us in your world.
Amen.

 

Mark 7: 1 – 22

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.  (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders;  and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.  So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’  He said to them, ‘Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

“This people honours me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
    teaching human precepts as doctrines.”

You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.’ Then he said to them, ‘You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!  For Moses said, “Honour your father and your mother”; and, “Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.” But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, “Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban” (that is, an offering to God)— then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.’ Then he called the crowd again and said to them, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.’  When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable.  He said to them, ‘Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile,  since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.)  And he said, ‘It is what comes out of a person that defiles.  For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder,  adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’

Reflection

The 1995 romantic-comedy The American President opens with the US Commander-in-Chief being told that Lewis, his speechwriter, wants to see him. “Well, it wouldn’t be a Monday morning unless Lewis was concerned about something I did Sunday night,” quips the president, before the lift doors open, and Lewis accuses him of cutting a paragraph from a speech.

It’s Monday morning again – are we concerned about anything we said or left unsaid on Sunday night? For some of us, it might be a harsh word spat out in frustration during an awkward conversation at church. For others, it might be an unguarded comment that slipped out after a glass of wine or a pint of beer.

Then there are the things we didn’t say, the paragraphs we cut from our own personal speeches, the words we could feel the Holy Spirit nudging us to share, but which got stuck in our throats.

“Whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile… it is what comes out of a person that defiles,” Jesus said. “For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come.”

Throughout the Gospel, Jesus’s harshest words are reserved for hypocrites: “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

Words matter, perhaps now more than at any other time in the church’s 2,000-year history. Two or three generations have passed since many families engaged with the Church. We now need to reexamine the words we use to help communicate God’s love to the world.

Our focus must shift from teaching human precepts and holding on to human traditions, and instead replace them with words about God’s inclusive and overwhelming doctrine of love.

The words we’ve used in days gone by are now unlikely to be suitable for a poster on the church’s noticeboard or a post on the church’s Facebook page. Finding the right words can be tough, but Jesus gives us a model to follow, by focusing on words of love.
 
Prayer

God of the Word and of the words,
please forgive us when we defile ourselves 
with evil intentions from our hearts, 
when cruel words slip from our lips.
Help us to forgive each other when we cause hurt with our words. 
Instead, please fill us with the words we need to share your love 
with our families and friends, our neighbours and enemies.
In the name of Christ, Amen.

 

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd John Grundy

 
Welcome

Good morning.  My name is John Grundy and I am the Minister of St Andrew’s Brockley and St Michael’s New Cross.  Our two churches here are in fast changing diverse communities in the London Borough of Lewisham.  In many ways, our church families are very reflective of the diversity around us.  Along with my CRCW colleague Simon and the community that we serve, I’m delighted to welcome you today for this Transfiguration Sunday service.

Call to Worship

Come, leave to one side the worries of the day and week; come and meet the living God.  Strong defender lift up our heads! Come, leave to one side all that drags you down, all that exhausts and drains you; come and meeting the living God.  Life-imparting heavenly manna, feed us! Come, leave to one side your doubts and delusions, your despair and desperation; come and meet the living God.  Stricken rock with streaming side, refresh us!

Hymn     Lord Enthroned In Heavenly Splendour
George Hugh Bourne (1874) Public Domain.  Sung by members of the Croydon Minister Choral Foundation and Whitgift School Choristers.

Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour
first-begotten from the dead,
thou alone, our strong defender,
liftest up thy people’s head.
Alleluia, alleluia,
Jesu, true and living bread.

Here our humblest homage pay we,
here in loving reverence bow;
here for faith’s discernment pray we,
lest we fail to know thee now.
Alleluia, alleluia,
thou art here, we ask not how.

Though the lowliest form doth veil thee
as of old in Bethlehem,
here as there thine angels hail thee,
branch and flower of Jesse’s stem.
Alleluia, alleluia,
we in worship join with them.

Paschal Lamb, thine offering, finished
once for all when thou wast slain,
in its fullness undiminished
shall for evermore remain,
Alleluia, alleluia,
cleansing souls from every stain.
 
Life-imparting heavenly manna,
stricken rock with streaming side,
heaven and earth with loud hosanna
worship thee, the Lamb who died,
Alleluia, alleluia,
risen, ascended, glorified!

Prayers of Approach and Confession

Your light, O Most High,
shines in the darkness, 
guiding the way as a star at night, 
letting us see all that obstructs and occludes,
for the light in our lives we praise you.

Your light, O Christ, can blind us.
The glow of your glory exposes the rags we cling to;
the brilliance of your presence makes us want to hide in the dark.
Our sin and shame overwhelm us, and we turn away.
Forgive us, saving Jesus, 
help us to learn to live in the light of your presence,
to feel your love and not our guilt,
that we may shine with you.

Your light, Most Holy Spirit,
burns away our dross, consumes our darkness,
and shines through us when we show love.
Give us time to change,
time to see you at work in our lives,
that your brilliance will enlighten our world.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

Friends, God is faithful and just,
always yearning to welcome us home,
arms held wide in forgiveness
as a mother rejoices in the return of a wayward child.
God forgives you; have the strength to forgive yourselves.  Amen!

Prayer for Illumination

Unveil our eyes and hearts, O God,
that we may see your light, hear your word and know your will
for us, for our church, and for all your people, today and always. Amen.

Reading     2 Corinthians 4:3-6

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Hymn     Transform Us    
Sylvia Dunstan (1955-1993)  © 1993, GIA Publications, Inc.  Printed and podcast in accordance with the terms of OneLicence # A-734713

Transform us as you, transfigured, stood apart on Tabor’s height.
Lead us up our sacred mountains, search us with revealing light.
Lift us from where we have fallen, full of questions, filled with fright.

Transform us as you, transfigured, once spoke with those holy ones.
We, surrounded by the witness of those saints whose work is done,
Live in this world as your Body, chosen daughters, chosen sons.
 
Transform us as you, transfigured, would not stay within a shrine.
Keep us from our great temptation – time and truth we quickly bind.
Lead us down those daily pathways where our love is not confined.

Reading     St Mark 9:2-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Sermon

I think it’s really important that we remind ourselves to not just take the passage we read on Sunday and ignore what’s going on around them.  In the Gospel today we’re very much reminded that this encounter, this experience, was not a random disconnected event because we’re told that the transfiguration happened six days later. 

As we know, quite a lot can happen in one week.  That week Jesus had been doing quite a lot. He’d been ministering with his disciples in the villages around Caesarea Philippi. And as they were going, Jesus was asking his friends, Who do people say I am?  And as we know, lots of theories. John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the prophets. 

But Peter makes a Peter changing declaration that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.  You’d think that would be a really good thing to say, wouldn’t you? And that would sort everything out, but maybe not. Because Jesus makes it really clear that not only will Jesus’ life be in danger because of that, But the disciples will be too. 

Much can happen in a week.  And six days later, we get this incredible mountaintop experience. I think there’s something really powerful about a mountain. And getting to the top of it, I think, is half of the experience.  I lived for some years on the Isle of Man. And the highest mountain there is called Snaefell.
And Snaefell has a Victorian tramway which runs to just below the summit from a beautiful coastal village in Laxey.  Now, at the top of the mountain is a really good cafe, and there are views from there across the island, across the Irish Sea, to Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. 

What I loved whenever I went to visit there, though, was the very red faced but very smug expressions of the people who’d walked up some or all of the mountain.  The rest of us who’d travelled up on the tram would look a lot less tired, but we’d be happily sipping our tea waiting. We got to the top,  but some had put in more effort than others. 

This encounter that Jesus shares with some of his friends, on top of a mountain, is unexpected in a lot of ways. And I think for a start, the cast of characters involved is a little bit unexpected. You wouldn’t expect to find Moses and Elijah on top of a mountain.  But Peter gets to meet with these wonderful icons of his own history. 

In the past, I’ve considered Peter to be the most human of all the disciples. Because many of us have similar reactions to him.  There are times when we experience the amazing glory of God in nature, in people, in experience. And instead of rejoicing in the moment, we find ways to be very busy.  That’s often the bind I think we have in church life. 

It becomes too easily a busyness and a business.  Rather than us being an expression of God’s love at work in the world and  what we would really want to be.  Church becomes a bit of a drudge.  I think we need to watch for that.  You know, I’ve always taken before that focus for this reading.  But as I prepared this, I found myself, I found an understanding of this text that’s made me rethink. 

Because it seems there was a Jewish expectation that God would usher in a new age during the Festival of Booths. This was a festival that helped people to remember their wilderness journey from Egypt. And for this festival, Israelite family was supposed to build a booth  to remember.  This festival was when the people thought God would take control of creation and bring in a new age of Shalom. 

So instead of assuming Peter simply didn’t get this, maybe we need to give him credit.  Obviously, Peter thinks this mountaintop encounter is a sign that the end is coming and the festival of booths was happening.  So maybe we shouldn’t judge Peter for not getting this. Maybe we should praise him for generously offering to build a booth for Jesus, for Moses, and for Elijah, so that they wouldn’t have to. 

Maybe we should know that Peter has recognized change is coming, and it was gonna be big. I  mean, he kind of got his timings a bit wrong about stuff,  and in the craziness of all that’s just happened on the mountaintop,  It seems he’d forgotten what happened the week before,  what Jesus had told them.  I think this year, we have to listen to that same voice that they heard on the mountaintop.

We have to be listening for the voice of God. This is my son.  Listen to him.  We need to hear again that what we were told was right. Yes, things are going to change. Yes, things are going to be different.  But in the end, it’s going to be okay.  I think that’s what we need to hear this Transfiguration Sunday. 

Listen to what Jesus is saying to you.  Maybe we could hear this encounter as an invitation to not just look for God in the usual places, but to be open to listening for Jesus where we don’t expect Jesus to be,  and from the people we don’t expect either.  At the core of this passage is Jesus and his friends on the top of a mountain. 
And we might have mountaintop experiences in our lives, but we know that Jesus isn’t confined to the lofty heights. Because we meet Jesus in very different places too.  Walking with those in need. Suffering with those who are hurting. Longing with those who hope for restoration.  With us in all of our pains.

With us in all of our suffering.  And when we struggle, I doubt any of us would think it was a mountaintop experience.  But maybe this is where Jesus does transformation most dramatically. Away from the mountaintops.  Next week we are entering the season of Lent, a time to pause, to wait, to prepare and to reflect on our own journeys with God. 

So as we prepare to journey into Lent this year, starting later this week,  as we find ourselves on mountaintops and in the dark valleys we’re living through,  I pray that we can all say, Lord, it is good for us to be here  and listen to what Jesus is asking of us.  And maybe this can be a time of shalom for us all.  A lot can happen in one week.

Hymn     The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns
John Brownlie (1907) Public Domain.  Sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission.

The King shall come when morning dawns
and light triumphant breaks,
when beauty gilds the eastern hills
and life to joy awakes.

Not as of old a little child,
to bear, and fight, and die,
but crowned with glory like the sun
that lights the morning sky.

O brighter than the rising morn
when He, victorious, rose
and left the lonesome place of death,
despite the rage of foes.

O brighter than that glorious morn
shall this fair morning be,
when Christ, our King, in beauty comes, 
and we His face shall see.
 
The King shall come when morning dawns, 
and light and beauty brings;
“Hail, Christ the Lord!” Thy people pray, 
come quickly, King of kings!

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God, 
Creator and Sustainer of majestic mountain and gentle valley,
of deep sea and icy glacier, author and summit of all the life 
with which we share this planet.  

We believe in Jesus, our Sovereign and Saviour, 
who shines his love on us 
and who refuses our attempts 
to confine him to shrine and sanctuary.

We believe in the Holy Spirit 
who journeys with us in the highs and lows of life, 
defeating our expectations, surprising us with joy,
enabling us to proclaim God’s great deeds.

We believe in the Church,
one and hidden, holy and broken,
catholic and reformed, apostolic and ever new,
God’s mission to our world,
where we work out our salvation.

Intercessions

Eternal Trinity,
your light shines on our world offering hope, direction, and justice.
We pray now for places and people living in darkness.  

Eternal One
we pray for those living in dark cycles of violence,
repressive governments, terrorists, and those who profit from weapons
that your light might expose their foolishness.
We pray for those living with the dark violence 
of war, terror, and poverty,
that despite the odds, they may turn towards light and 
away from the cycles of despair that perpetuate evil.  

pause

Suffering God,
we pray for those who use law and treaty 
to hide the darkness of their deeds,
for those who wish to shut the borders 
of their hearts and our lands to those in need;
shine O Jesus, your light that we may see things properly,
care for those in need and see you in their faces.

pause

Flame of God’s love,
shine your light on those who are in any kind of pain,
especially for those we know pray….

longer pause

Let us be, O God, lights which bask in your light,
reflections of your glory, and agents of your change.
Inspire us as again we are reminded how to pray as we say Our Father…

Offertory

The Transfiguration reminds of the miraculous.  In the inaccessible light of God’s presence, Jesus’ glory was revealed, ancient prophets came, and the disciples saw a glimpse of glory.  In our lives we have similar glimpses – not on mountain tops and not of prophets but in the simple everyday things of life.  As we show love to those in need, as we listen to someone in trouble, as we offer love and attention to those who struggle we find glimpses of glory.  As we realise that we should use our resources more responsibly we see God’s glory at work in the ordinary things of our lives.  Week after week we give believing that our giving is tied up with our discipleship; now we give thanks for all that has been given – the time, talents, and treasure of God’s people, given in the hope of transfiguration of the world’s pain into light and love.

Generous God,
bless all that is given in this church:
the time, the love, the talents, the laughter,
the ability to share with friend and stranger,
the welcome to the lost and lonely,
the light of love shining here,
the treasures given and found,
that, at the end, we may be transformed.  Amen.

Hymn     Shine Jesus Shine
Graham Kendrick  © 1987 Make Way Music  sung by Justin Stretch of St Lawence’s Church, Chorley, used with their kind permission
Printed and podcast in accordance with the terms of OneLicence # A-734713

Lord, the light of your love is shining
in the midst of the darkness, shining.
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us,
set us free by the truth you now bring us;

Shine on me, shine on me.

Shine, Jesus, shinefill this land with the Father’s glory!
Blaze, Spirit, blazeset our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flowflood the nations with grace and mercy.
Send forth your wordLord, and let there be light.

Lord, I come to your awesome presence
from the shadows into your radiance.
By the blood I may enter your brightness:
search me, try me, consume all my darkness;

Shine on me, shine on me.

Shine, Jesus, shinefill this land with the Father’s glory!
Blaze, Spirit, blazeset our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flowflood the nations with grace and mercy.
Send forth your wordLord, and let there be light.

As we gaze on your kingly brightness
so our faces display your likeness;
ever changing from glory to glory
mirrored here may our lives tell your story!

Shine on me, shine on me.

Shine, Jesus, shinefill this land with the Father’s glory!
Blaze, Spirit, blazeset our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flowflood the nations with grace and mercy.
Send forth your wordLord, and let there be light.

Blessing

As we journey between the mountaintops and the plains of life, may the transforming power of God inspire you.  May the challenging and comforting grace of Jesus guide you, and may the companionship of the Holy Spirit walk with you.  Go knowing the love of God within you, today and every day.  Amen.

Friday, 9 February 2024

St Mark 6: 45 – 52

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray. When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land.  When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Reflection

Jesus’ walking on the water is perhaps the most challenging of his miracles to understand and many wonder about it.  If taken literally it is outside our experience and so is explained away as Jesus walking in the shallows of the lake or on a rocky shelf just below the water line. 

Reading it this way though, takes something away from the story. What matters is what this miracle teaches us about Jesus. In the first century water was connected with chaos and where evil resided. Sea monsters waited for creep unsuspecting prey.  To travel out on the lake at night was to take risks and to trust in God. That’s what the disciples are doing and why they are terrified. That’s why they cry out in fear mistaking Jesus for a ghost. Fears are allayed only when Jesus reassures them. 

This story takes us back to the very beginning of creation when God brings order out of chaos. The writer of Mark’s gospel is reminding us of who Jesus is, where he’s come from, and where he is leading.  Through Jesus light breaks into the darkness and chaos of our world bringing order and new life.

Sometimes life can feel as if we are out of control and that no matter how hard we try to get a handle on things it feels as if we will sink beneath the waves of chaos.  In such moments it is good to be reminded that God is in control, that God’s Spirit hovers over the waters and the darkness of the deep of our lives, and through Jesus brings order, hope and comfort. 

No matter how hard it is to understand, we can trust and have faith that God will lead us through the messiness of our lives to the new creation he promises to us.

Prayer

Gracious God, 
in the messiness and brokenness of our lives, 
we thank you that you bring order, hope and comfort. 
We thank you that although we don’t always understand, 
we can respond to your call to trust in your plans and purposes for us. 
We commit our worries and concerns into your hands;
help us to take heart and recognise you 
walking alongside us as we face today with hope and confidence. 

Amen.

Thursday, 8 February 2024

St Mark 6: 30 – 44

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii  worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.

Reflection

One of Jesus’ most recognized miracles is found in this passage, but it occurs only after he spends time healing the sick. After seeing the crowd, Jesus felt compassion for them.  We often emphasise the miracle itself but overlook the sympathy that literally moves Jesus. Jesus’ compassion compels him to act. And that’s how it should be with us. While we may feel sympathy for someone, how often does the emotion result in action? Jesus cures the sick people in the crowd because he cared for them.

Instead of commanding them to leave, he orders them to stay and sit down on the grass. He then gets to work doing what he has come to do—curing every disease and sickness among the people. The miracle demonstrates that Jesus attends to the physical needs of the people. He doesn’t focus solely on their spiritual health through his teaching. He’s also concerned that they are sick. He empathises with those who are hungry.

Are we as concerned about the physical health of God’s people as Jesus is or do we focus only on our spiritual health? Like the disciples, do we naively send people away when we think our resources are too limited to have an impact? There is still a need to feed the hungry in our world today with a vast number of people who do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. Many of our churches supply food and provide meals to those in need. These offerings can be the “little” resources (like that of the disciples) that when blessed and added with others can bring forth an increase.

In Holy Communion we offer with grateful thanks food (bread and wine) nurtured by human hands, to the God who is its source, and we discover the ‘more than enough-ness’ of God’s providential provision for us – God’s food and fellowship, shared abundantly, feeding our bodies and souls, taken into our bodies and becoming part of us, with human ego pushed right out of the way.

Prayer

Dear God, we pray today for the hungry, all those for whom starvation is an ever-present reality, not knowing when their next meal will be. Stir the hearts of those who have much, to respond generously to those who have so little. We pray too for those who, though they are well-fed physically, are spiritually hungry. May they find the inner nourishment that only you can give. Amen

Tuesday, 6 February 2024

St.Mark 6: 1 – 12

He left that place and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands!  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary  and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him.  Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’  And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.  And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching.  He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.  He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;  but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.  He said to them, ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.  If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.’  So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.  They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Reflection

There’s been plenty of news about Jesus since he left town, but no one has set eyes on him. Except of course the anxious members of his family who went down to Capernaum looking for him – and probably they’ve been keeping that awkward interview to themselves. So there is a real air of excitement in synagogue this sabbath morning.

And it’s not just Jesus who grabs everyone’s attention. Mark tells us that his disciples have followed him here: that’s a couple of extra pews full! Even before he starts speaking, people are asking what can have happened to Jesus the carpenter, the lad they’ve known all his life, to turn him into such a compelling figure – a rabbi everyone wants to know and follow.

We of course are in the know. Mark has given us all the details of what happened to Jesus as soon as he left home, starting with his baptism in the Jordan, and the heavenly voice affirming his new life direction. So there’s an easy answer to the question “Where did this man get all this?”, but it’s not one that the people of Nazareth are likely to work out for themselves. Even his own family have been in two minds about him.

The brief mention here of the brothers and sisters is as much as we ever learn about them. We can imagine them sitting together, as extended families sometimes do in our own congregations. Hearing the buzz of conversations around them, they realise that Jesus’s home-coming isn’t going to be the triumphant occasion that they might have been hoping for.

And Mark has to tell us that even Jesus could experience failure. No miracles today in Nazareth! A warning then for us, his followers, to be prepared for disappointments as we too try to share the Good News.

Prayer

Loving God, give us confidence
to speak for you and about you,
not looking for honour and praise ourselves.

And give us grace to bear disappointment
when our words are not heard or heeded,
putting ourselves and all things into your good hands.

St Mark 5: 21 – 43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat  to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake.  Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.’ So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him.  Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years.  She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 

She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,  for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’  Immediately her haemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.  Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’  And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?”’  He looked all round to see who had done it.  But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.  He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’

While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’  He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.  When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.  When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’  And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.  He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’  And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement.  He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Reflection

At first glance we see the contrasts in these 2 stories of healing, which Mark cleverly weaves together. There is a much-cherished young girl, and an older woman, alone and afraid. The family of the girl are desperate in their grief, the father shockingly throwing himself to the ground, putting his status aside pleading for his daughter’s life. The older woman, alone, hides herself in the crowd -she shouldn’t be out in society, yet she dares everything to get to Jesus.

Look closer and there are more similarities between these unnamed women and the way in which Jesus breaks though barriers to bring them both healing and new life.

Both women are classed as dead. The older woman has spent all her money trying cures, but the bleeding which defiles her in that society at that time has made it impossible for her to live. The young woman’s funeral has already started as Jesus arrives.

Through Jesus, both women experience the resurrection power of God. The healing they receive through faith restores them both to life. Each of them, though unnamed, receives Jesus’ full concern. It is important to Jesus to know who touched him, although it seems impossible in the crowd. Jesus legitimises the woman’s desperate act. She is afraid but he accepts her with love and affirms her faith.

The young woman is woken gently.  Jesus, disregarding the noisy mourners, and the risk of touching a corpse, thinks only of the girl, speaking to her tenderly and seeing she has food.

This is the heart of God’s love for us, that we too can be restored to life whoever we are, whatever our circumstances. The power of the resurrection can be seen today, living, working in our world. Thanks be to God for this gift beyond words.
 
Prayer

Living God,
Your life-giving love restores us.
When we need you
You break through all obstacles,
loving us as we are,
You banish fear and doubt
With a gentle touch.
Be with us today,
Amen

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Andy Braunston

 Welcome

Hello and welcome to worship.  As we get older, we worry that we forget things – and I’m pretty sure electronic diaries make matters worse!  We hear today of Isaiah’s concern that his fellow believers had forgotten the marvellous deeds of God – deeds with our Psalmist extols God for.  We hear St Paul remind his readers in Corinth of his rights, which he doesn’t assert, as he does not wish to hinder the Gospel.  We too want to remember God’s marvellous deeds and play our part as Christians that others come to know God’s loving kindness.  My name is Andy Braunston and I am the United Reformed Church’s Minister for Digital Worship.  I live up in Orkney, a land of winter gales and glorious summers.  I’m a member of the Peedie Kirk URC here which is where I’m leading worship from today. Let’s worship God together.

Call to Worship

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?  The Eternal One sits above all creation and stretches the heavens out as a curtain; God brings the mighty to naught and reminds them they are as dust blown away in the storm.  
We wait on the Sovereign One who shall renew our strength.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?  The Most High cannot be compared to another; God has no equal.  God is great in strength and mighty in power.  
We wait on the Sovereign One who shall renew our strength.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?  The Mighty one grows not faint nor weary and empowers the weak with loving kindness. 
We wait on the Sovereign One who shall renew our strength.

Hymn     Thou Whose Almighty Word
John Marriott (1780-1825) Public Domain  Sung by St. John’s Episcopal Church, Boulder; assembled and produced by Tom Morgan, Music Director.  
 
Thou, whose almighty word
chaos and darkness heard,
and took their flight:
hear us, we humbly pray,
and where the gospel-day
sheds not its glorious ray,
let there be light!

Thou who didst came to bring
on thy redeeming wing
healing and sight,
health to the sick in mind,
sight to the inly blind:
now to all humankind
let there be light!
 
Spirit of truth and love,
life-giving holy Dove,
speed on thy flight!
Move on the waters’ face
bearing the lamp of grace
and, in earth’s darkest place,
let there be light!

Holy and blessed Three,
glorious Trinity,
wisdom, love, might:
boundless as ocean’s tide
rolling in fullest pride
through the world far and wide,
let there be light!
 
Prayers of Approach, Confession and Forgiveness

Holy and blessed Three,
we bring you our thanks and praise today,
we remember all that you have done for us and bring you our gratitude.

We praise you for our freedom to worship,
remembering it was once denied us – 
as it is for so many around the world.

We thank you for the ability to challenge and question the way things are,
remembering how our forebears suffered for that right –
as many still suffer today.

We marvel at our freedoms to love and live,
and remember those hard won battles –
knowing that many battles are still to come.

Lord Jesus, by eschewing power you brought healing and light,
but we prefer darkness and despair;
by standing on the edge of society you showed us how to see,
yet we prefer to close our eyes to suffering;
on your redeeming wing we find delight and freedom,
but we prefer the bondage of sin.
Heal and forgive us O Lord, and give us time to change.  

Most Holy Spirit,
live-giving spirit of truth and love,
speed on your flight and bathe us in your loving kindness
that we accept the forgiveness you offer,
find the courage to forgive others,
and the grace to forgive ourselves.  Amen!

Introduction

Our readings today deal with issues of memory and freedom.  Isaiah tried to reassure his people in the aftermath of exile of God’s loving care – something they’d forgotten in their trauma.  Writing in a similar era the Psalmist gives thanks for God and, in the midst of praise, reminds the people of the things God has done – and things they should emulate.  Paul reminds the troublesome congregation in Corinth that he’d be entitled to be paid for his ministry but forsook a stipend in order not to be a hindrance to the proclamation of the Gospel.  Together these readings, which we hear and sing, remind us of God’s saving actions and our responsibilities as Christians.  Let’s pray to be illuminated as we listen for God’s word in these readings.

Prayer for Illumination

Open our hearts and minds, O God,
that as we hear your Word read and proclaimed
we may remember your great deeds,
and be inspired to serve you in our life together as church
and in our own individual lives.  Amen.

Reading     Isaiah 40: 21 – 31

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Hymn     Fill Your Hearts With Joy and Gladness (Psalm 147)
Timothy Dudley Smith © 1984 Hope Publishing Company Printed and Podcast in accordance with the terms of OneLicence # A-734713  Performed by the Choir, Orchestra and Congregation of All Souls, Langham Place.  

Fill your hearts with joy and gladness,
sing and praise your God and mine!
Great the Lord in love and wisdom,
might and majesty divine!
He who framed the starry heavens
knows & names them as they shine!

Praise the Lord, his people, praise him!
Wounded souls his comfort know;
those who fear him find his mercies,
peace for pain and joy for woe;
humble hearts are high exalted,
human pride and power laid low.

Praise the Lord for times and seasons,
cloud and sunshine, wind and rain;
spring to melt the snows of winter
till the waters flow again;
grass upon the mountain pastures,
golden valleys thick with grain.

Fill your hearts with joy and gladness,
peace and plenty crown your days;
love his laws, declare his judgments,
walk in all his words and ways;
he the Lord and we his children:
praise the Lord, all people, praise!
 
Reading     1 Corinthians 9:16-23

If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel. For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Sermon

In J K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire we’re introduced to a pensieve; a wide and shallow dish made of metal or stone, elaborately decorated, and inlaid with precious stones and carrying complex enchantments.  They are, Rowling, tells us rare and only used by powerful wizards because most wizards are afraid of using them.  Their purpose?  To collect spare memories.  The memories could be re-lived by others with access to the pensieve but they form a convenient place to store memories which get too much for ageing brains.  No longer able to claim to be in my mid 50s I think such an object would be a very useful addition to my tools.  I’ve prided myself on having a good memory, especially for faces, but now I’m not so sure!  With over 30 years of ministry behind me I’m starting to think I’ve forgotten more things than I’ve learned; having an academic interest in history means I’m aware of how much we’ve forgotten as a culture and a church.  A few months ago, a retired colleague told me she’d written a biography of a former principal of Westminster College, the Rev’d John Wood Oman.  Oman was born in Orkney, attended, as a child, a church I preach in regularly and went on to have a career as an academic theologian.  His work isn’t widely known – but he died almost 100 years ago – and he’s not very well known in Orkney, even in the members of the church he once worshipped in.  Such is the complexity of human memory that we forget what was once obvious.  Many of our churches have memorial plaques around them; I remember walking into a tiny village church in Kent where a part of my family are from and being surprised to see, on a war memorial, my surname.  Evidently, William Braunston, my great grandfather died in in the First World War.  My grandfather and father never knew him so there were no stories passed down about him, no memories just a marble plaque commemorating him and 12 others who came from a tiny mid Kent village and never returned.   Our readings today play with this idea of memory and couple it with ideas of freedom and obligation.

The writer of our Isaiah passage assumed that faith is built on memory – memory of God’s saving actions.  The writer assumes that when the collective memory of God’s actions fails so does the faith of the community.  Memory failure can be acute in times of crisis and the writer ministered in the difficult times of the 6th Century before Jesus with destruction and exile generating a crisis of confidence in the Jewish people.  

Did God really care for them?  
Was God really looking out for them?  
Does God really control the future?  

These were key questions for Isaiah’s exiled people and for us now when the collective memory of God fades even as the yearning for spirituality increases.  The people hadn’t forgotten God per se but believed He’d forgotten them – not surprising after their experience of bitter defeat and exile.  I’m sure many on the border of Ukraine and Russia wonder if God has forgotten them.  I wonder if Israelis rushing to shelter as missiles come flying in from Gaza wonder if God has forgotten His Chosen Ones; I’m sure the people of Gaza feel God has forsaken them as they huddle in refugee camps, hospitals and churches attacked with impunity by the Israeli Defence Forces.  

It’s not so much that the Jewish people in Isaiah’s time had forgotten God but had, instead, lost their faith in God’s loving care of them.  The writer’s approach was to remind the people of God’s loving kindness believing that in these memories would be found hope for the current crisis.  Babylon might be an immediate threat, but God’s power and love would outlast even the might of Babylon.  Just as we see God at work in creation, so God is at work in human affairs.  The powers of the age are no more than stubble to be burnt or chaff to be winnowed.  The people, at this time, had become overwhelmed by the crises of their age, crises that made them forget God’s grace and reliability; they’d forgotten the loving kindness of God.  The faint and powerless will receive help from God’s own hand, says Isaiah, if they just depend on God and remember God’s saving works.  

Dudley Smith’s rendering of Psalm 147, which we’ve just sung,  is probably the best, and most familiar, contemporary sung version but it’s a free reworking of the words of the Psalm and misses out the line about outcasts preferring the rather more vague “wounded souls.”  Like the Isaiah passage this Psalm begins and ends with God’s praise.  The command to praise is intertwined with the memories of God’s saving acts – and as such is paired beautifully with the Isaiah passage.  Scholars wonder if this Psalm was composed after the Exile and is, therefore, part of the national project to both remember God’s saving works and to rely again on God’s eternal sovereignty.  The Psalmist combines a jolly good hymn to enrich worship with some sturdy grounded ideas about the God who bandages and mends His people.  The God whom we laud is the one who gathers up the outcasts, heals the broken hearted and binds up wounds.  The one who determines the number of the stars and names them all is the one who lifts the downtrodden and casts the wicked to the ground.  We might, in these days of climate emergency, no longer think that God prepares the rains (humanity has changed the weather patterns so much we can’t blame God for the floods or the droughts) but with the Psalmist we know, and hope, that God takes pleasure in those who fear Him and trust in his steadfast love.  

Paul, in the passage from I Corinthians describes his central approach to his ministry – to proclaim the Gospel of his Lord and to attend to aspects of communal care which are the proper preserve of the Church.  In the verses leading up to this passage Paul established that, even though he didn’t push his rights, he would be entitled by social and religious norms to not to have to work for a living but live from the offerings of the community.  I must admit that as a stipendiary minister my hackles were raised at the idea that I don’t work for a living!   Instead, Paul decided to work for a living so as not to hinder the Gospel.  Paul cleverly mixes his images of being set free from sin – and his understanding of the Law – but at the same time living under the obligations of faith and fidelity to the Gospel.  He was set free to serve not to live the life of a libertine.  In becoming free he has become the slave of all – quite a powerful image in a world whose economic system depended on the enslavement of others.  Unlike the church in Corinth Paul realised that one could be unworthy of the Gospel; unlike those early Christians, and maybe unlike us, Paul realised we have to live out the pattern of Christ who came to serve not be served.  

So how might we weave together these ideas of memory, faith, God’s sovereignty, our freedom and obligations and human suffering?  Is there a resonance with the Isaiah passage for us?  In our age we have many crises – inflation may be down, but prices haven’t lowered (and still rise albeit more slowly) and many of us struggle to pay our bills.  The conflict between Israel and Gaza has locked in hatred, insecurity, prejudice, and discrimination for generations to come; the catastrophe repeats itself.  In America we’re faced with a resurgent group of election deniers determined to seek revenge against the institutions that protected democracy.  China desires Taiwan and seems willing to use violence and coercion to gain it; in the UK many issues are raised in election years, but few are about our fundamental values as a, in theory, free union of nations.  Do these crises make us, as they made the Jewish people of old, forget God and God’s sovereignty?  Does the God-given desire for spirituality give the Church a way in to remind and proclaim God’s grace? I wonder what we might mean by God’s sovereignty in an age of human freedom.  We proclaim that Christ is King but the powers that rule this world pay little, if any, attention to Jesus and his demands.  A few weeks ago we proclaimed, again, peace on earth and light in the gloom but the wars continue.  These aren’t new questions.  The Psalm reminds us that praise is an act of our will; sometimes a deeply subversive, difficult and painful thing to do.  In the face of disaster, the Psalmist trusted in and praised God.  The Psalmist balanced the praise of God with a hymn of praise with ideas deeply embedded in social justice.  We can’t sing God’s praises without being grounded in the messy business of life; yet we need to resist being overwhelmed by life’s vicissitudes which can cause us to forget God’s loving kindness.  Paul brilliantly asserts his freedom – a freedom he freely gives up to live as “slave to all” so as not to hinder the Gospel.  Attending to the weak, realising we must live lives worthy of our calling and seeing that just as we can forget God’s deeds (as Isaiah noted) we can also leave behind the central point of being Christians whilst, at the same time, kidding ourselves we’re still church.  As the Church in the West declines, we find that we spend more and more time looking to assure our members rather than reaching out to those yet to come.  As we realise we’re not to be a members’ club we end up giving lots of attention to our members so they don’t leave.  As we proclaim God’s sovereignty we wonder how the Church will exist in the next generation.

Perhaps some memories will help.  In an era of corruption and cynicism, the Reformers held we could be sure that the true Church subsists wherever the sacraments are rightly administered, and the Word truly preached. In the face of persecution and struggle the Church itself was revived, not just through the Protestant reform but also in the Catholic reaction to it.  In each of our readings today we see a concern to remember God’s deeds, to praise God, and to live well remembering that God’s concern for the forsaken, the broken, the outsider, and the wounded needs to be embodied in our lives and loves.  We remember to embody in our own lives, and the live of our church, that which we remember.  God’s loving kindness, God’s sovereignty might not be seen in the powerful things that Isaiah and the Psalmist hoped for but in the weak and outsider that Paul attended to.  God’s grace is seen in the foodbank and the over 60s group.  God’s power is seen with the asylum seeker resisting injustice and the messy church seeking to connect with those on the edge of our common life together.  God’s power is seen in the AA group meeting in our hall where week after week strength is seen in the lives of the broken and the weak.  We truly administer the sacraments when we remember the Church has to be on the edge, away from the centre of power but embodied and embedded in the lives of the outcasts and failures.  The Word is truly preached when, as a response lives are transformed.  Deep in our memories we know that our roots are on the edge of respectability, outside the law where we found ourselves in unlikely company.  Deep in our communal memory we know that God is there, leading, guiding and assuring – perhaps we need to reach for our pensieves and catch up with what we know to be true.

Let’s pray

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal Home,
help us to remember,
your deeds of might performed with the weak,
your loving kindness offered to the unlovely,
and your hope offered to the hopeless,
that we may be part of your great legacy,
that our people may not perish but flourish.  Amen.

Hymn     Christ is the World’s Light
Fred Pratt Green 1969 Hope Publishing Company Printed and Podcast in accordance with the terms of OneLicence # A-734713  Performed by Koine and used under licence. 
 
Christ is the world’s Light, Christ and none other;
born in our darkness, he became our Brother.
If we have seen him, we have seen the Father:
Glory to God on high.

Christ is the world’s peace, Christ and none other;
no one can serve him and despise another.
Who else unites us, one in God the Father?
Glory to God on high.

Christ is the world’s life, Christ and none other; 
sold once for silver, murdered here, our brother –
he, who redeems us, reigns with God the Father:
Glory to God on high.

Give God the glory, God and none other;
give God the glory, Spirit, Son and Father;
give God the glory, God with us, my brother:
Glory to God on high.
 
Affirmation of Faith

We believe in the Eternal One who has, since before time itself, guided and grieved with us in our pain, sought and saved us when we were lost, rejoiced and redeemed us from the miry pit.  
Woe to us if we do not proclaim the Gospel!

We believe in the risen Lord Jesus who became one with us, that we might learn to love and serve God and God’s people.  Jesus was betrayed by one He loved, given over to unjust trial and grievous execution and all was lost.  But God raised him on high, revealing love in weakness, glory in the gloom.    
Woe to us if we do not proclaim the Gospel!

We believe in the Holy Spirit, fire of God’s love, dynamo of the Church, light for our path; the One who prays within us when don’t have the words, bringer of grace through sign and symbol.  
Woe to us if we do not proclaim the Gospel!

We believe in the Church; agency of God in our world, herald of the Gospel, community of the free, imperfect sign of perfect love.  A place of healing and wholeness, of love and community.  
Woe to us if we do not proclaim the Gospel!

Intercessions

O Most High, we forget  your goodness to us, and turn our minds away from the marvels you have done.  You called us in our mother’s womb, consecrated us to your service, poured love and grace upon us, moved mountains for us and keep us as the apple of your eye.  We thank you for your loving kindness seen throughout our lives, especially in difficult times when your love has held us, even without us knowing.

pause

Bless with your love all those who find life unbearable today:

•    those living in fear of war and dictator, 
•    those crowded in unsafe refugee camps, 
•    those working for peace yet being shouted down by war mongers 
•    those waiting for life to end

and fill us with the memory of your command to work for a better world.

pause

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Risen Lord Jesus, we praise you for your life of loving service, defiant proclamation and truth telling to power.  Remind us of our call to resist the powers of evil that stalk our world, our responsibility to tell the truth whatever the cost and the price of love involved in carrying our crosses.

pause

bless with your love all those who are called to tell the truth this day:

•    whistle-blowers calling out corruption in high office,
•    peacemakers exposing a lust for war,
•    journalists revealing threats to democracy

pause

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Most Holy Spirit, we praise you for the energy you give the Church, ever surprising us and calling us to new forms of life and vitality – even sometimes when we least expect it.  Make us always eager to proclaim the Gospel through word and deed.

pause

Bless with your love those who proclaim your saving work this week:

•    those who donate to and volunteer in foodbanks
•    those who seek to make women’s refuges safe and healing places
•    those who welcome folk into groups for addiction where, step by step, freedom is found

pause

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Eternal Trinity of love, in our thanks and our prayers we bring to you now those we love and worry about.

longer pause

We join all our prayers together as we pray as Jesus taught….

Lord’s Prayer

Offertory

We give because it’s good for us;  
we give because it makes a difference;
we give as it’s a way of resisting both the love of money 
and the poison of consumerism;
we give because we value the causes and organisations we support.

We give to the Church because we value it, 
it makes a difference in so many lives 
and it’s a measure of our discipleship.  

We give in many ways, in little envelopes, by standing order, simply by popping money into the plate.  

However, we give, we ask God to bless our giving and our gifts.  

Let’s pray:

Eternal God,
we offer our thanks for your many gifts to us,
the love you shower us with
the life we live,
those we share living with
and all the creatures with whom we dwell 
and learn to be in harmony with.
Bless these gifts, 
that through them we can make a difference to our world.  Amen.

Hymn     I Come With Joy, A Child of God
© 1971, 1995 Hope Publishing Company music © 2021 Hope Publishing Printed and Podcast in accordance with the terms of OneLicence # A-734713  sung by musicians from Lake Grove Presbyterian Church, Lake Oswego, Oregan, USA. 

I come with joy, a child of God,
forgiven, loved and free,
the life of Jesus to recall,
in love laid down for me.

I come with Christians far and near
to find, as all are fed,
the new community of love
in Christ’s communion bread.

As Christ breaks bread, and bids us share,
each proud division ends.
The love that made us, makes us one,
and strangers now are friends.

The Spirit of the risen Christ,
unseen, but ever near,
is in such friendship better known,
alive among us here.
 
Together met, together bound
by all that God has done,
we’ll go with joy, to give the world
the love that makes us one.

Holy Communion

God is here!     God’s Spirit is with us!
Lift up your hearts     We lift them up to God!
Let us give God our thanks and praise!     It is our duty and joy to worship God!

Eternal God,
from the beginning of time all creation worships you,
the sun, moon, and stars dance with joy in your presence,
all your creatures praise your most holy name,
and we, your people, thank you today for Your Word.

Since the earliest times you have spoken to us;
long ago your voice rang over the waters of the deep,
and now sounds through 
natural wonder, ancient story, and bold prophet.
In the fullness of time your word burst forth in Jesus
who taught us to love and to worship, 
to question and to challenge.  
He spoked the engines of evil in his own age, 
and calls us to do the same today.  

Before he was given over to torture, degradation, and death,
Jesus shared a meal with his friends, and, during that meal,
took bread, prayed the ancient blessing, and said:

Take this all of you and eat it, for this is my body
which is broken for you.  Do this in memory of me.

When Supper was over, he took the cup of wine,
again prayed the ancient prayer of blessing,
gave the cup to his friends and said:

Take this all of you and drink from it, this is the cup of my blood,
the blood of the new and everlasting covenant
so that sins may be forgiven.  Do this in memory of me.

Let us proclaim the central mystery of our faith:

Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.

After three days in the darkness of death 
your word, O Most High, was heard again, filling Christ with new life, 
confounding the powers of evil that seek to rule our world,
inspiring us to live as he lives,  showing love and compassion, 
and preaching the gospel of your holy love.

May your Holy Spirit come upon us, 
and upon these gifts of bread and wine,
that as we show forth Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, 
by the broken bread and outpoured wine,
we may discern, as we eat and drink, 
Jesus’ presence with us, risen and ascended, 
giving himself for our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace.
United around this table with the whole Church, we offer ourselves anew 
and rejoice in the promise of Christ’s coming in glory.

Give us, O Most High, tongues to extoll your great deeds,
hearts to respond to the preaching of Your Word,
discernment to bring rest to the weary, excitement to the jaded,
and joy to the downtrodden.  

Bless us all as we remember your deeds of old,
and seek to follow you in our own age,
that as we remember we make real your love and power,
found in weakness and vulnerability,
bringing healing and light 
to a cold and dark world.  

All this we pray through Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus,
in the loving power of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory be yours, O Most High,
forever and ever,   Amen!

Music for Communion    Crucified Man by Graham Kendrick 
© Make Way Music Podcast in accordance with OneLicence # A-734713  

Post Communion Prayer

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all God’s benefits.

Loving God, we thank you
that you have fed us in this sacrament,
united us with Christ,
and given us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet in your eternal realm.

Send us out in the power of your Spirit
to live and work to your praise and glory,
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn    O God Our Help in Ages Past
Isaac Watts (1719) Public Domain sung by a 150 voice Mass Choir  for Classic Hymns 1st album “Ancient of Days” Conductor :   Dr Arul Siromoney  of St. Andrews Church Chennai in 2008 and used with their kind permission.
 
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is Thine arm alone,
and our defence is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received a frame,
from everlasting Thou art God,
to endless years the same.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
are like an evening gone,
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream
bears all its sons away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream
dies at the op’ning day.

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
be Thou our guard while life shall last,
and our eternal home!
 
Blessing

May the One who holds you in the palm of Her hands
help you to remember all that God has done for you.
May the One who lived, died, and rose again for you,
help you proclaim the glorious gospel of freedom.
May the One who came upon you at baptism, 
filling you with the fire of God’s love continue to inspire you to serve,
and the blessing of God Almighty,
Source, Guide, and Goal of all life,
be with you and all whom you love, now and always, Amen.